


The Magician and The Fool

by fandommybeloved



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe - Magic, Angst, Author Is Sleep Deprived, Blood and Violence, M/M, Mentioned NCT Ensemble, Minor Jung Yoonoh | Jaehyun/Lee Taeyong, Minor Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Mark Lee, johnny is a lovestruck fool, ten is a confident gay, what is an upload schedule
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-02
Updated: 2020-07-27
Packaged: 2021-04-21 13:16:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,721
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22078123
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fandommybeloved/pseuds/fandommybeloved
Summary: Johnny Seo is the Commander of the Royal Guard. Ten is a silent thief in the night. What happens when there is a robbery at the Royal Vault? A story full of ridiculous coincidence, romance, and magic. Put on your big boy pants because it’s about to get wild.
Relationships: Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul | Ten/Suh Youngho | Johnny
Comments: 3
Kudos: 21





	1. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ten's gotta blast.

_Click. Clack. Click. Clack._ The sound of heels against the stone floor echoed off the high ceilings of the grandiose hall. Two uniformed guards bowed as Lieutenant Kim approached the vault entrance in elegant furs and an all white uniform. The guards nodded in unison as he acknowledged them. “Good evening, gentlemen.”

The first guard, who was slightly taller and more muscular than the second, stepped forward. His raucous voice disturbed the silence of the hall. “You’re here for the inspection, Lieutenant?”

Lieutenant Kim affirmed, relaxed and poised in front of the stoic guards. He spoke with a regal air. “...Of course. Now, let’s get started, shall we?”

The guardians did not budge. The second guard spoke. “Of course, sir, but we must go through the proper procedure. Password?”

Lieutenant Kim inhaled sharply. “Of course, yes, we must obey formalities... _Suprema aliqua caseo_.”

They seemed satisfied with the response and turned to the center of the vault door. The taller of the two yanked a silver key on a chain off his neck. The shorter detached a matching golden key off of the keyring attached to his belt. The two sliding doors of the vault were metallic, with light coming in from the nearby windows creating a clear reflection of the guardians of the vault and Lieutenant Kim. They dwarfed everything else in the hall, as they were at least twice the height of the taller guard. A small circular section protruded from the place where the two doors joined together, creating a spiraling pattern of gold with both keyholes on opposite sides of the centerpiece. Both guards inserted the keys into the center simultaneously and heaved as they turned the centerpiece until the keyholes were vertically aligned with the split between the heavy doors. The vault doors hummed as a warm glow spread from the centerpiece to the top and bottom of the doors. Heavy clanks of whirring gears and locks opening resonated in the Lieutenant. They finally split apart, opening to reveal the interior of the vault.

Lieutenant Kim walked into the vault and waved to the two guards, his head held high and his arms crossed behind his back. Each step overflowed with the grand confidence that could only be present in such a high ranking officer. The large vault doors closed behind him with a resounding _clunk_. The vault itself reeked of sulfur, a telltale indicator of magic; the walls were embossed with swirling gold patterns and dazzling runes that glowed in time with the heavy feeling of magic in the room. _Some sort of protection spell I suppose._ He smirked the moment the doors locked shut and quickly circled his hands into intricate patterns while murmuring an incantation. His form shifted and shrunk, revealing a far different man in a dark cloak, a stark contrast to the bright and regal clothes of Lieutenant Kim.

“_Whew_, I really can’t stand those stuck up clothes.”

The impostor sauntered towards an ornate pedestal towards one side of the vault, eyes pinned on the artifact for which he came for. Upon the grandiose setting place sat a peculiar item. It was an hourglass shape, two pyramids made of a dark wood faced inwards towards a small glass sphere that was a mix of cremes and warm yellows. Along the grains of wood small carving in a language he couldn’t decipher despite his large knowledge of ancient languages. As he circled the sitting artifact he mumbled to himself. “I can’t _believe_ those guards didn’t realize I just made up something random in Latin as a password... Well, their loss.” He huffed, considering that the two guard would most likely face extreme punishments the following day.

The man approached the artifact, feeling it thrumming with large quantities of mana. _How could some much power be compacted into something so insignificant?_ He opened his satchel and reached out to take the artifact. The closer his hand got to it, the more uneasy he felt. As he finally took the artifact off the pedestal he let out a sigh of relief. As he placed the artifact into his satchel he suddenly felt as though something was terribly off. There was a stark tension in the air as the smell of sulfur intensified. An alarm screeched loudly, ringing in his ears. “**UNAUTHORIZED PERSONS HAS REMOVED AN OBJECT FROM THE VAULT.**”

The stranger’s stomach dropped. _What?_ This wasn’t meant to happen. He sprinted towards the vault doors and slammed into a release switch. The doors groaned in protest as they rapidly slid open.

_KRAAAANG!_ The alarm blared shrilly, assaulting the eardrums of anyone within the castle. The dark figure dashed out of the Royal Vault, streaks of violent red light sparking around them. A pack of uniformed guards quickly appeared and followed closely behind him, golden spears at the ready to attack the intruder. A flash of red flew from the figure, and a screech akin to that of a firework from the displays of the Ellenwood gardens accompanied it.

A guard crumpled to the ground after being hit directly in the chest by a burst of flames, and another stooped down to help the man who had been hit. The thief was making rapid movements with his hands as he ran, and intricate ritual circles glowed a vivid maroon around him. A second round of flames flew from the hand of the thief, hitting two more guards, who both fell to the ground with an unceremonious _thump._ Two guards remained behind the unknown man, and they began closing in on the sprinting thief, who had begun to lose speed. He heaved as he made a hairpin turn into a dark hall, which lead into an antechamber with high ceilings and three possible pathways. The recognizable pounding of heavy shoes was audible still and rang out in the relatively empty back halls of the palace, reminding the mysterious man of the imminent danger he was in. After dashing through a less used hall an eerie quiet enveloped the intruder as he looked ahead to 3 new halls.

The left opening led to a spiraling staircase upwards, most likely towards the residence of the royal family. The right opening was well lit in comparison to the rest of the halls, with gas lanterns lining the hall. The center opening led into a grand hall, with one wall adorned with extravagant windows. In the distance the hall turned, and nothing was visible. As the intruder considered each path the recognizable clang of metal armor could now be heard enclosing on the thief. His short respite from the chase had ended, and he began running again, entering the grandiose hall directly in front of him. The two guards who had been following him before now were accompanied by three more. If they were to catch up to him now, they could easily overpower the fatigued thief.

In an attempt to shake off the guards, he uttered an incantation, and a larger, more wild flash of burgundy flew from his hand to the corridor ceiling above the guards which created a resounding boom, followed by the stone crashing into the ground. The thief sprinted away with newfound energy, hoping to avoid any more guards before escaping from the palace. Rushed footsteps and frantic yells echoed throughout the palace walls; the figure supposed his hopes would be betrayed.

“Shit,” he cursed as he saw the guards approaching. The thief dashed through a series of tight halls, extravagant antechambers, and narrow corridors before he slipped into a dark corner unseen by the guards. They swiftly moved past his hiding spot unbeknownst to his presence. “Where did they go?”

“This way!”

The footsteps grew quieter and quieter until they were no longer audible. The thief slinked out of the shadows into the center of the room he was currently in. The walls were a dark wood that pulsed with magic. A line of bookshelves drew his attention, and he stepped closer to them unconsciously. The shouts of the guards were mere echoes at this point as the thief ran his fingers along the spines of the many alchemical tomes that lined the shelves. Upon looking around the shelf, a staggering darkness was present. Intrigued, he drew in a breath and slipped through a small gap between the creaking bookshelf and the cracked wall. Within the darkness was a dank, narrow passage. The air was thick with moisture in the claustrophobic corridor where moss lined the stone walls, and the stench of ancient magic filled the air. The thief murmured a few words as he snapped his fingers, a warm flame erupting from his hand.

He followed the passage which led him to a set of spiraling stairs going downwards. A crack in the wall revealed a pantry. A pantry meant a kitchen, and a kitchen, in this case, meant a way out. With a flick of his hand, the flame went out and the thief was left in the now dimly-lit passage. He then tapped the area surrounding the crack, murmuring incantations as he drew a rectangle with his fingers. A soft blue line followed every movement of his fingers, slowing transforming into intricate patterns of triangles and rotating diamonds.

The stone faded away into the air leaving only their faint outline as the thief was able to walk into the pantry as one would walk into a party as the guest of honor. The wall faded back into reality behind him. He crept out of the pantry into the kitchen, only to trip over a misplaced pan. He looked up to lock eyes with an unsuspecting maid. She was a stout woman with graying hair and a pair of badly repaired glasses sat on the bridge of her nose. She let out a shrill shriek after recognizing the intruder, alerting every guard within the area of his presence.

“Well, thanks for that, lady.”

He quickly made his way through the royal kitchen, snatching a loaf of fresh bread on his way out (a thief has to eat, after all). As he ran, he tucked his acquired meal into his satchel, the guards he had avoided earlier kicked a large wooden door off its hinges and burst into the kitchen. The door hit the ground creating a bang that resonated in the room. The aforementioned maid pointed directly at the thief, who froze in shock, transfixed by her accusatory finger. “HE’S THERE!”

The newly invigorated guards descended upon the kitchen like a pack of dogs, vaulting over anything and everything that stood between them and the thief. He sprung back into action and took off for the umpteenth time that night. He knocked piles of pots and pans in between himself and the guards, hoping to throw them off. The guards slammed the copious amount of pans out of the way and continued their chase, now a considerable distance away from the thief. Looking ahead, he spotted a window used for bringing supplies into the kitchen. A cable system extended down to an abysmal looking loading area. Turning around, the thief checked to make sure the guards wouldn’t be able to grab him before he was clear of the window.

Hoping to save a little strength, he braced for impact and jumped through the closed window out into the air. The sound of broken glass joined the noise of alarms blaring into the night. Once clear of the window the thief began falling towards the ground. He grasped a thick cable and held on for dear life as he slid towards the ground at breakneck speed. As his feet touched the ground, he looked up to see the guards peering down from the window in shock. The thief rushed away into the dark cover of the alleyway. He ducked into a narrow passage, temporarily losing the guards. As he made a tight turn his side crashed into a half wall that blocked off the alley. _“Fuck.”_

Pained bloomed in his side as he vaulted over the small wall deeper into the maze of back streets and alleys. He was now out of immediate harm and took a breath, “I don’t remember that wall being there…”

As he disappeared onto an untraceable path, clambering after him a patrol squad of guards paused in front of the alley they saw him run into. Unsure of how to catch him in the sprawling back alleys of the commercial district, they paused, giving him valuable time. A voice rang out from behind the confused guards. “_I’ll_ take care of the thief.”

The guards swiftly turned to identify the owner of the voice. A younger guard with broad shoulders and squinted eyes spoke up. “C- Commander?!”

The owner of the voice turned to look at the guard who had spoken. The guard recognized the man immediately after he got a better look at the man. _It was Commander Seo, one of the most revered men in the Royal Guard._ His appearance was well-kept; his pristine uniform was adorned with ornate gold lapels on his shoulders and his chest bolstered the Royal Guard’s insignia; an eagle holding a scepter and a sword in each claw. His skin was tanned from working all his life. He had a sharp jawline, his muscles pulled taught in distaste. His chocolate brown eyes, lined by dark circles from night spent on too many reports, shone through the darkness and he pushed stray hairs out of his eyes. “I want doubled security around the palace. The royal family must be secured. I need every man available to secure the area and block any paths for escape, now!”

A chorus of ‘Yessirs’ erupted from the guards as they saluted their commander in unison. The majority of them turned to follow the commander’s orders while a lanky guard sprinted behind the commander to deliver his orders to the guards who remained inside.

Commander Seo dashed off in search of the elusive thief. He followed a set of directions as if he had followed this very path many times before. _Take a left. Take a right. Jump the fence and the bar dumpster. Take a right. Then…_ The commander slid to a stop as he heard hushed chanting echo through the dim alleyway. The smell of sulfur was faint in the air compared to the usual stench of the heavily enchanted palace. _So our thief is a sorcerer?_ He turned the tight corner to find the very shadow that had caused such a ruckus among the vault guards. As his boots skidded across the cobblestone, the thief looked up to meet his eyes. Whatever spell the sorcerer had been attempting faded from his hands.

A hood cast a shadow over the thief’s face, blocking the commander’s view. The thief wore a black cloak with maroon detailing along the sleeves and the hem of the hood. Burgundy swirled in intricate patterns, forming large glowing eyes that stood out in the dim lighting of the alleyway. If the Commander stared at the individual eyes for too long they appeared to be moving. _So much for being inconspicuous..._ Seo mused. The man in front of him also wore black leather boots and a belt pf potions was slung around his waist. The only defining feature of the man under the cloak was a tuft of jet black hair interwoven with a single streak of red which stuck out from under his hood. The Commander scoffed at the man, drawing a mana blaster from his hip and aiming directly at the thief’s head. “Remove your hood, _sorcerer,_” he sneered.

The thief raised his hands in defeat and looked up toward the Commander with flirtatious eyes which shone in the light, “Aw you don’t even know my name? I’m hurt you haven’t heard of me by now.”

The Commander scoffs, his hand ghosting over the gun strapped to his hip, “I’m sorry your reputation doesn’t proceed you, now comply before I have to use force.”

The thief slowly inched his hands closer to his hood. He gently pulled his hood down from his head to reveal a rather handsome young man; the thief couldn’t have been older than twenty-three. His dark hair was disheveled and stuck to his forehead with sweat. His skin looked pale and the light cast harsh shadows on his sallow face. His breathing was uneven, and his shoulders sagged. The Commander noticed his feline eyes, which appeared clouded. The mysterious man was rather alluring, and the Commander despite himself was intrigued by the thief. _He went along with that much easier that I had expected…_

_Crack!_ A red bolt of lightning whizzed by the Commander’s face, only missing him by a few centimeters. Even if the thief was needed alive, the Commander wasn’t about to get offed by a low-end magician. The Commander shot his standard-issued blaster directly at the thief’s chest. In response, the thief ducked. This was a dangerous miscalculation, as he ducked a second too late, and the concentrated beam of mana grazed his neck. A horizontal gash appeared in its wake that dark blood slowly oozed out of. In shock, the Commander paused; he had meant to incapacitate the thief, not nearly kill him. He lowered his weapon slightly as he prepared to approach him. Seizing the opportunity, the thief dissolved before his eyes, reappearing directly behind him. The Commander could hear his strained breathing with the newfound proximity.

Despite his condition, he leaned dangerously close and spoke in a sultry tone that invaded the Commander’s ears and wrapped around his mind. “Why, that wasn’t very nice, Mr. Seo.”

He stretched on his toes, which allowed his warm breath to fan against the Commander’s neck. His voice barely above a whisper, he continued, “You could have killed me with that shot after all. And you keep calling me a thief. A gentleman like you would at least ask my name before trying to cuff me.”

The Commander’s breath hitched. His gun slipped to the ground with a deafening _clank_, the metal ringing out against the worn cobblestone in the otherwise silent alleyway. He was enraptured by this enigma of a crook. He turned around, facing the thief. He towered over him, but the mysterious man made up for it with his ability to render him in a daze. The two men were locked in a battle of looks, each daring the other to make a move.

The Commander inhaled, the aggressive scent of sulfur assaulting his senses. He breathed, “What is your name, thief?”

His voice more strained this time, he responded, “You can call me Ten.”

After a few agonizingly slow seconds, heavy footsteps drowned out the silence that had formed in the alleyway. Ten’s lips curved into a wretched smile, his nose tucked below the Commander’s jaw and his lips brushed against a tendon, “It’s been a pleasure to meet the handsome Commander Seo.”

He vanished from the alley in a vortex of red sparks, leaving only his taunting laughter that echoed off the tight walls of the alleyway. A single scrap of paper floated by his face. He caught it, holding it up to his eyes. In elegant cursive _Marvin’s 7pm tomorrow_ was written. After the Commander read the paper it burst into a flurry of red flames, disappearing without a trace. The footsteps from earlier ceased and the Commander turned around to find a panicked regiment of guards. “Commander, where is the thief? We heard talking and rushed this way.”

“What happened, Sir?” one asked.

“Sir, is that blood on your collar?” inquired another.

The Commander only chuckled softly, not answering their questions. He stooped to pick up the forgotten gun, and began to walk forward, the guards separating to let him through. “Be careful who you let in the vault next time- if there is a next time for you lot.”

The Commander walked away, the slip of paper he had glimpsed taking precedence in his mind. _Was it a trap?_ Commander Seo didn’t know, but he was keen on finding out.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ten is an idiot, but he’s Taeyong’s idiot.

Everything felt cold when Ten appeared in his hideout. The world spun around him as the exhaustion of the night crept upon his psyche. Black spots dotted his vision, and he felt as though his eyelids might have given up on him at any moment. A strange haze had fallen over the boy, and he found it hard to focus on one thing. He blinked repeatedly to clear some of the confusion from his mind. His vision cleared slightly as he staggered over to his worktable. It was a sturdy table; the finish had worn away from years of use and various tomes, scrolls, and bottles covered the table. He slipped the ancient artifact out of his satchel onto a book near the edge of the table. As he looked up from it, he caught sight of his reflection in a small mirror placed above it. The blood that he had been vaguely aware of before now pooled in his clavicle and soaked into his shirt leaving a dark stain that slowly expanded.

As his eyes traveled from his shirt to further up his neck his eyes widened and his chest tightened. The pain of the wound hit him suddenly, as the adrenaline flooded away, leaving him with the immediate realization that he had been hurt- and hurt badly. A dark gash almost the width of his neck contrasted starkly with the pale skin of his neck. Dried blood cracked as he turned his neck to look at one of the ends of the injury. The sheer amount of energy within the mana pulse had torn the skin to shreds, leaving the end a frayed mess of cracked skin and drying blood. Small cuts and scrapes littered his torso leaving ugly rips in his shirt. As he stared at the damage, Ten swayed from one foot to the other, caught in a haze of disbelief and semi-consciousness. As he put too much weight on one foot, his body sagged and his knee gave way. His eyes snapped open as he reached out to stabilize himself on a nearby shelf. His weight caused the shelf to give way, and potion bottles fell to the ground.

The sounds of glass shattering and the stench of a mix of potions brought Ten back into reality. If he didn’t do something to patch himself up, he was going to bleed out. He turned quickly, crashing into his desk in his haste. Upon impact, he recoiled in pain, before he noticed the artifact he risked so much to steal teetered dangerously off the edge of the table. He stuck his hand out to catch it before it fell, but his reflexes had slowed and the object tipped further from atop its resting place into the air. Time slowed to a painstaking crawl as the artifact continued to come closer to the floor. With the minuscule amount of energy left in his body, Ten moved his arms to trace the rune for a levitation spell to protect his precious loot. Instead of stopping mid-air, the artifact slowed its descent towards the ground and landed with a dull thud. _That simple spell barely worked. God, I’m really drained…_

His mind was suddenly in overdrive, only able to focus on doing everything in his power to dress his wounds. Ten stretched back into a standing position and dragged his body as quickly as he could to a large shelf pushed into a corner of the messy space. His eyes scanned the shelf until they landed on a skinny rectangular bottle filled with a fluorescent pink liquid. He clutched the substance tight; his arms shook and his body struggled to remain upright. He took the cork on the bottle between his teeth and twisted it slowly out of the bottle. Meanwhile, his hand not already in use blindly felt around for a rag or bandage. Upon grasping a relatively clean looking cloth, he gave the cork one final tug until it released from the bottle with a _pop._ Ten spit the cork out of his mouth and walked to the wall opposite his work table.

He stopped in front of a mundane pedestal made of dark stone and stuffed the cloth into his pocket messily. Its only distinctive feature was a simple circular design engraved into the top, which was a deep red color. Using two fingers, he began to draw atop the column. Starting with a circle, he then traced a V shape and finished with a simple cross at the bottom where the cross and V intersected. Each movement he made felt like another weight had been placed upon him. It became increasingly hard to continue as his eyes drooped further. Upon finishing the rune, a red glow seeped out of the place he had started. Slowly, it followed the design he had made and glowed brighter as the final stroke was completed.

Ten deeply exhaled as unconsciousness tightened its grip on his brain. He took a few steps back before he felt his back make sharp contact with his table. His free hand flew behind him to steady himself; his knuckles turned white as all his weight was put on his hand and his fingernails dug into the wearing varnish on the table. He took the cloth from his pocket and emptied the contents of the bottle onto it. Pink fumes flowed upward from the cloth, emanating the sickly sweet scent of elier root; the only thing strong enough to mask the pungent stench of the magical herbs used to create the healing concoction. He lifted the cloth to his neck and dabbed at his wound blindly. The liquid overflowed from the cloth and dripped down his neck. It mixed with the semi-dry blood, filling the room with the smell of iron and sugar. Ten exhaled shakily. The smells made him dizzy, and he had become aware that he could barely feel his legs. He fell to his knees, allowing his head to rest against the side of the tabletop. He kept the cloth pressed against his bleeding neck, as he slowly lost feeling in his neck. He adjusted himself so that he was fully sitting on the ground with his back propped against one of the legs of his work table. His pulse thrummed in his ears, and the haziness he had been holding back up to that point washed over him in fresh waves. His eyes began to fall closed for the first time that night as he let himself breathe in relief.

A bright flash appeared in the room and the smell of sulfur wafted towards Ten. He scrunched his nose in discontentment at the intruding light and smell. “Holy shit, Ten.”

Ten cracked his eyes open to stare at the visitor. In front of him stood his good friend, Taeyong. Ten looked him up and down as Taeyong loomed over him anxiously. He stood with one hand on his hip as he worried his lip between his teeth. His candy floss pink hair fell into his line of sight as his eyes bored holes into Ten’s neck. He wore a black button-up with a snug black leather harness overtop. Tight black jeans tucked into well-worn boots that contrasted with his otherwise pristine appearance. Taeyong was a crude person but could be extremely nurturing when necessary. As Taeyong stood in front of his crumpled form, Ten contemplated how he had made such a loyal friend. For all the shit he had put him through, constantly getting into fights and getting injured, Taeyong had weathered it. Taeyong was as soft as candy floss until you hurt one of the people close to him.

He sighed deeply as he kneeled in front of Ten. He moved the arm at his neck out of the way and his eyes widened at the sight he was met with. He finally met eyes with Ten in a silent question, and Ten tilted his head towards the artifact sitting on the floor next to his knee. “All for that, huh?”

Ten licked his lips in uncertainty; his tone shaky, “All for that.”

Taeyong outstretched his hand to Ten, “Alright let's get you up on the table.”

He lifted Ten up and Ten seized up, surprised at the sudden flare of pain at the jostling movement. He hissed lowly, and visibly relaxed when Taeyong placed him gently (or as gently as he could) on the countertop. Taeyong got a closer glimpse of the gaping wound in Ten's neck at the new angle, and a hint of fear entered his visage.

“Jesus, Ten, you sure did a number on yourself. Let me fix you up real quick, so long as you agree to never do whatever you did to get yourself into this situation again. Never again, you hear? You near about gave me a heart attack, again, calling me up here to find you all bloodied and beat up like this, bordering on unconscious.” Taeyong stared sternly at Ten, but upon noticing how the injured boy withered at his remarks, his body slouching in his arms, he softened. “Well, never mind that now. You're alive, and that's what matters- now all's left is _keeping you alive._”

With that, Taeyong cupped Ten’s cheek to offer him a small comfort, and Ten leaned into the cool touch. Taeyong rolled up his sleeves, shoved the hair out of his face, and got to work reviving his best friend.

“Lift your arms up for me, hun.”

Ten huffed as he did as he was told, soreness blooming as he moved his arms. Taeyong eased the shirt off of Ten, cognizant of his partially clotted injuries. He sucked in a sharp breath as more of Ten’s torso was exposed. A multitude of shallow wounds crisscrossed on his arms and chest. The dim light of the work lamp highlighted the extent of the damage, and the glittery dusting of glass across Ten's bruised and bloodied body reflected back in the yellow light. Colorful blotches rose above the waistline of his pants, creating an asymmetrical array of angry reds and violent pinks up his side. Taeyong had his work cut out for him. He steeled himself for the arduous night that he knew was ahead, and began working, well aware of the time ticking away for Ten.

Taeyong summoned a medicine kit from a nearby shelf. He poured a green liquid onto a clean cloth and dabbed at the dirty skin of Ten's neck. As he made contact with the skin, Ten jerked back with a whine. Taeyong grasped Ten’s hair and gently tipped his head back, fully exposing his neck. He massaged the back of his head as a distraction from the searing sensation of the potion. As he rubbed the grime and excess blood away he could finally get a good look at the gash. It was a dreadful sight; the skin peeled around the edges and there was a dip in the flesh from where the shot had torn through Ten's neck.

He began an incantation with one hand to regenerate the skin and flesh that was damaged. As he went through the motions of the healing spell, he continued to comfort Ten to his best ability, who continued to put most of his weight on Taeyong. As the incantation was completed, Taeyong let out a sigh of relief at the stabilizing health of his dear friend. His relief was short-lived, as Ten groaned in discomfort, an uncomfortable warmth finding a home in his neck. Taeyong’s eyes widened to the size of saucers as he stared at the unchanging injury. His breath hitched as he carefully shook Ten back into reality. “Ten, what shot you?”

In a hazy state Ten replied with slurred words, “Mr. Seo? I think? Dunno. He was hot though... But then something big hit me. Firey and blue and- Owww.” Ten’s words fell off and were replaced with a whine as Taeyong's grasp unconsciously tightened in Ten’s hair.

Mana in the form of blue fire was reserved for military-grade weapons exclusively. This complicated things. It complicated things _immensely._ Blue fire was immune to almost all healing spells- thanks to the Royal Bureau of Defense’s immense research and delegation of funds into the subject. Nothing in Taeyong's normal arsenal would have the slightest impact on the wound. And Ten was losing consciousness frighteningly quickly. Something had to be done. He racked his mind frantically, searching for any helpful tidbit. Suddenly he remembered a tome once given to him by a close friend. They were exceptionally skilled with complex rituals, renowned within the underground community for creating magic workarounds for government technology. He reached out for the text with his free hand, summoning it to him in a pink flurry.

It materialized in the air above his hand, flipping open to the last page where cramped handwriting was scrawled in short bursts. Diagrams were haphazardly drawn in the remaining space, crowding the page with information. He gestured for it to float next to Ten, so he could read it and heal Ten at the same time. Ten squirmed as his wound continued to throb from the irritation caused by Taeyong’s spell. Taeyong allowed himself to look at Ten’s head for a moment. Ten’s head fell into the hand in his hair; Ten unable to keep it upright on his own. Ten’s eyes fluttered open every few seconds as he struggled against fatigue and the pain. His skin looked unhealthily pale, his hair was matted to his forehead with sweat, and his breaths came out fast and uneven. Taeyong forced his eyes off of Ten to focus back on the ritual. His eyes tore through the list of ingredients as he cast a small locator spell for each one. Soon various bottles were floating from around the cramped room onto the large table. As he reached the end of the list his heartbeat quickened. One of the ingredients, acitrine, was incredibly hard to come by. Despite this, Taeyong cast a locator and breathed out a sigh of relief as he heard the clinking of glass to his right.

He turned towards the sound to see a thin bottle filled with a blue-grey powder float off a shelf with copious amounts of drying herbs hanging from its underside. Taeyong reached over Ten and grabbed the bottle from the air, tipping half its contents into a mostly-clean mixing bowl he found on the table. He sighed, “I really don’t know where you get half of this stuff from, but thank all above you have it.”

Ten smiled softly at Taeyong’s words but otherwise didn’t move a muscle. Taeyong mixed various types of herbs and rare resources together according to what the recipe specified, one hand gently placed in Ten’s hair. Ten relished in the feeling. He found himself dancing between conscious and subconscious, but was jerked awake anytime glass clinked too loudly or Taeyong momentarily moved his arm too much. The shrill sounds ricocheted around in his head painfully, increasing the thrumming of his pulse. The small tugs on his hair caused him to let out a small whine as his head was forced to the side or back, pulling his skin apart as his neck stretched to accommodate the changed position. Taeyong would apologize each time it happened, promising that _he would be done soon_ and _he just had to hang on a little longer._

On the other hand, Taeyong was completely engrossed in getting the catalyst for the spell correct. Too much of one of the ingredients and he would risk something going awry. Too little and the wound wouldn’t fully heal. His mind was swimming with worry for his friend as he listened to the shallow breaths and occasional whimpers. He mashed together the ingredients while he read out an enchantment from the page. The paste forming in the bowl congealed together and melted down every time a new ingredient was added; absorbing the various herbs and resources. It faded from a grayish-green to a pale blue until it became a salmon pink. A faint smoke flowed out of the substance, signifying the recipe had been completed correctly. He exhaled a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding, as he picked up the bowl with a shaking hand. The hand that was settled in Ten's hair moved to his jaw and stroked his cheekbones. Ten cracked his eyes open slowly to accommodate the harsh light. Taeyong forced himself to smile reassuringly at Ten, “I'm gonna have to let go of you to do this so I need you to lift your head up for me.”

Ten slowly inched his head away from Taeyong's touch despite the thumping he felt as he moved. He let his eyes shut again as the headache he had been suppressing as Taeyong worked returned with a vengeance. His eyebrows furrowed and his nose scrunched in discomfort. Taeyong whispered small words of comfort as Ten battled against the forces wreaking havoc on his own body. He couldn't differentiate the pain coming from his individual injuries anymore; he was only aware of an unnatural warmth that encapsulated his entire body and delivered a constant thrumming of pain to his head.

Taeyong continued to look down at Ten. He quickly skimmed through the directions in the time before commencing the draining healing ritual. He took some of the thick paste on his finger, it warming his fingertips the longer it sat. He then drew a series of runes over the gash on Ten's neck. They extended over the top and bottom of the gash, acting as bridges between the misaligned tissue. His fingers ran over the injury, occasionally pulling on the broken skin. He completed the symbols as quickly as he could while maintaining impeccable accuracy. He huffed as he finished, looking at the strand of symbols lining Ten's neck. He jolted as Ten's breath hitched; the symbols being absorbed into the wound. They seared themselves into his skin creating a strong bond between the two individuals as mana from Taeyong kept the ritual going.

Taeyong began the second part of the ritual filled with anxiety; his friend’s life was in his hands after all. Following the diagrams shown in the makeshift recipe, Taeyong formed a small circle in the air with his fingers. Channeling all he could into the forming of the spell a bright light followed his fingers. From the first circle, he drew a star within it. The five points of the star expanded outwards from the edge of the circle creating five lines. As Taeyong began the monotonous chant of the ritual two beams grew perpendicular to each protruding line creating a thicker and larger circle. A large triangle surrounded the complex shape, doubling to become a star.

He grunted at the sheer amount of mana being pulled from his body as he spun the spell clockwise. The light that hung in the air slowly dissipated and was replaced by an aura in the room. As he spoke the final line of the spell the runes drawn on Ten's neck resurfaced matching the intensity of the spell drawn in the air.

They expanded further above and below the gash. They began to sink deeper into the flesh, followed by the appearance of pink strings barely visible to the eye. They connected the top of the wound to the bottom, slowly pulling the flesh back together and regenerating the muscle grotesquely. Taeyong found the process hard to watch and instead focused on the flitting expressions on Ten's features. His face alternated between pain, discomfort, and relief. The healing process took around 5 minutes before the light pulling Ten's wound together dimmed and eventually faded, leaving a series of marks akin to stitches in place of the offensive injury.

Taeyong let out a shaking breath as the spell came to completion. He stepped forward to stand directly in front of Ten once again. His hands came to rest on the sides of Ten's neck, his thumbs rubbed over Ten’s jaw affectionately. He shut his eyes as he let himself wallow in the knowledge that everything would be alright. Ten opened his eyes to look at Taeyong properly for the first time that night. He still felt the tender pain of the cuts and bruises that littered his body but the intense thrumming of pain and heat had dulled. Getting a good look at Taeyong he noticed the bags under his eyes and the pale tones of his skin. He also felt the tremors that ran through Taeyong’s hands as he breathed. “Taeyongie?”

The aforementioned male dropped his hands from Ten's body. From underneath the pastel strands of his hair Taeyong’s eyes fluttered open. He straightened himself up as his body relaxed, “Yes, Ten?”

Ten let out a breath as the reality of the situation dawned on him, “Thank you, really.”

Taeyong scoffed, “It's basically my job at this point to patch you up after you get yourself into these situations.”

Ten opened and closed his mouth like a fish, stumbling between an apology and a half-sincere promise that he wouldn't end up like this again. Before he could utter a word, Taeyong silenced him, “Now I know this probably won't be the last time this happens, but please try and keep yourself out of unnecessary harm. Plus, before you dive into some long-winded apology let me clean up these other injuries.”

Ten simply nodded at the words in vague understanding. Once again, his thoughts drifted off and he found himself staring off into something unintelligible. Taeyong waved his hand, causing the large book to close and softly fall onto the table. He picked up another rag and the green potion he had been using earlier and began to diligently clean the scrapes on Ten's torso. As he worked, he would pull out pieces of glass ranging from the size of a grain of rice to those the size of pebbles. Each time a shard was removed, Ten flinched despite his best efforts to stay still.

When a particularly large piece was removed, he uttered a soft whine as the glass dragged against the muscle of his shoulder. Taeyong simply offered sweet words as he worked across Ten's torso. After removing all the glass he could see, he did a once over of Ten to ensure he got everything. He carded his hands through Ten's hair, pushing it out of his eyes. Taeyong then stepped away from Ten who exhaled heavily after the loss of contact. Taeyong quickly moved to the large shelves on the left side of the table, sifting through the various bottles until he found a round flask half-filled with a dark red fluid. He felt Ten’s gaze follow his figure across the room.

Ten sighed as Taeyong approached him with the flask grasped between his hands. He looked from the liquid to Taeyong’s eyes drooped in concern. His body sunk down as he recognized the color of the remedy Taeyong was holding. Ten huffed as Taeyong uncorked the bottle, “Is that really necessary?”

Taeyong hummed as he swirled the contents of the flask around. He placed a comforting hand on Ten’s shoulder, and Ten braced for the oncoming sensation of the healing elixir. Taeyong inhaled curtly, “You know it’ll be safer this way. The last thing you need is for one of these-” he gestured to the scrapes embedded across Ten’s chest, “to get infected. You’re already weak enough.”

Ten winced as Taeyong began pouring the liquid onto his right arm. It left a burning sensation wherever it made contact with his open skin. As Taeyong splashed the liquid across a noticeably larger cut, Ten let out a whine. The previously uncomfortable burning sensation had grown into a feeling of flames licking at his wounds as the elixir cauterized and healed the scrapes. Taeyong slowly moved across his chest and his other arm.

A warmth akin to what Ten felt earlier wracked his body. He peered down at his shoulder to watch the skin stretch to join once again, leaving a faint scar that would fade in a few days. When he looked back up, he found Taeyong was setting down a small washbasin on the table. Using the same cloth as before, Taeyong sponged at the liquid. Ten exhaled deeply as the tension left his body. The clean water was a relief in comparison to the searing heat of the elixir. It trailed down his arms washing away the remnants of the wounds and the remaining elixir present on his skin. Taeyong gently turned Ten's body away from him. Ten once again became aware of a tender feeling in his side. Upon looking down, he frowned at the bruise forming up his side; the pinks expanding outward in his skin creating bright patches that contrasted with his pale skin.

The dull throb in his side was nauseating and Ten swayed thinking about the large bruise. His eyes fluttered closed and his eyebrows furrowed as he reoriented himself and willed away the waves of nausea to the back of his mind. He tilted his head up from its sunken position and opened his eyes to see a worried Taeyong. He offered a small smile of gratitude to him as Taeyong finished sponging away the mix of water and elixir. Ten was suddenly aware of the temperature of the room as a draft blew cold air against his damp torso. He tightened his grip on the edge of the table, and his toes curled as a shiver ran down his spine.

Taeyong rested a warm hand against the newly healed wound on his shoulder. This calmed him as the warmth slowly sunk into his suddenly chilled body. He allowed himself to revel in the touch as his gaze became fixated on a chipped button on Taeyong’s shirt. His focus wasn’t really on the button, though. His mind went blank as a sound akin to a tuning fork rang through his head, a low hum that didn’t dissipate until the distant voice of Taeyong brought him back to reality. “-you feeling any better now? That nasty stuff should all be off now.”

He blinked in recognition before nodding. He let his fingers loosened their grip on the table before letting go completely and falling into his lap, lifeless. Taeyong took the small movement as confirmation before he picked up the discarded shirt and began to pat his skin dry. The shirt was ruined but functioned as a sufficient towel. Taeyong’s movements against him were gentle as if his wounds would reopen at any moment. The soft swipes of the makeshift towel put him at ease while he sat atop the worktable, his legs swinging shallowly due to the table’s height.

The movements ceased and he looked up to Taeyong with dull eyes and a silent question. _Is it over?_ The healing Taeyong had done may have fixed his wounds but it didn’t eliminate the immense feeling of exhaustion from the night’s events. The need to rest weighed heavily on his mind. It was extremely rare for him to use as much mana as he did. He was aware that he was more proficient with his use of mana than many of his companions but even he had his limits. It wasn’t enough to suffer from the severe effects of mana depletion, but his movements were still sluggish and he found it hard to focus for too long.

Taeyong sent him a look of sympathy as he nodded. He moved forward and gently picked up Ten. He used one hand to support his back while his other lifted his legs up. He moved to the opposite side of the room, where a mediocre cot had been pushed into a small alcove. The sheets were a creme color, with stains from years of use. A large blanket was piled at the end of the bed, most likely moved in haste to do something. As he gently laid Ten on the bed, the frame squealed in protest.

He snorted, “You should really put a silencer charm on that.”

Ten hummed, “I don’t sleep on it often enough to notice.”

Taeyong sighed at Ten’s admission, and swatted at the arm closest to him, urging Ten to scoot closer to the wall. Ten complied, albeit begrudgingly. The bed itself was a single; there wasn’t much space for him to move in the first place. Despite this, Taeyong slowly eased himself onto the bed, sitting opposite of where Ten’s head laid. He toed his dirty boots off and kicked them off the side of the bed. All Ten needed was to trip over them the following morning and hurt himself further. He shifted his legs onto the rickety bed and let his head rest against the wall. One leg was folded towards the outer edge of the bed while his other was outstretched towards Ten.

Sitting down for the first time since he had arrived, he breathed out a sigh of relief. The tension that had built up in his shoulders and back rolled off him in waves as he allowed himself to relax. Ten was still injured, but he was no longer in any immediate danger, which brought some peace to the older male. His eyes found their way onto Ten’s resting figure.

Ten had curled into his bruised side and had moved the arm he was on top of so that his hand laid under his head. His right arm was draped over the bed a few inches in front of Taeyong’s foot. His hand hung over the bed, his half-lidded eyes were focused on his fingers as he flexed them in arbitrary patterns. Despite having been within death’s clutches mere hours ago, the scene was serene; exhaustion muddying his mind and leaving no room for deep reflection on what had occurred. Occasionally his eyes drifted back to the artifact across the room. He sighed as he let his eyes close, allowing himself a moment of rest. He sharply inhaled before speaking, “Taeyongie?”

The aforementioned male perked his head up at the mention of his name, “Yes, Ten? You alright?”

Ten didn’t answer his question. His lips curled in discontent, “Thank you, again.”

He turned his head slightly so that he could look at Taeyong. The deep feeling of indebtedness thickened the atmosphere. Taeyong was startled by the heartfelt words of gratitude, as well as the somber feeling that now filled the space between them. He wrung his hands together, “You know I would do it again, Ten.”

Ten’s eyes widened as Taeyong returned his gaze. Ten kept quiet as dangerous thoughts swirled in his mind. _What if Taeyong hadn’t come so soon? Would he have been able to treat himself?_ He didn’t comment on the implications of Taeyong’s remark, instead choosing to stay quiet.

It took a while, but eventually, Taeyong spoke up to break the tension he could feel emanating from Ten. “So how did you manage to get shot in the neck by Commander Seo?”

Ten remained silent. Taeyong continued, “I mean, he doesn’t have any magic affinity right? You could have just used some spell he couldn’t counter to incapacitate him. Unless you were trying to tease ‘im, eh?”

Ten blushed at the accusation. A dusting of red made itself known on Ten’s features as he tried to curl further into his arm. He was slightly muffled considering he had turned his entire face into his arm, but he replied, “I... may… have done something like that?”

His admission ended as a question, as he mulled over his actions. Taeyong groaned as he hit his head against the wall, “Of course you would do something like that after having run around the Palace for God knows how long.”

“I mean he was pretty hot, y’know.”

Taeyong wanted nothing more than to strangle his friend. He himself let out a noise of mild aggravation before squinting at Ten, “So what _did_ you pull exactly?”

Ten peeked at Taeyong from his position with trepidation, “I- Um, well I flirted a bit… I was gonna give him something to remember me by but some Royal Guards came barreling down the-”

Taeyong stretched his leg the extra distance and kicked Ten’s arm, “You _what?_ God, Ten, you can’t just flirt your way out of an arrest by the _Commander of the Royal Guard_. You were already weak and then if those guards hadn’t shown up you would have _stuck around?_ Ten, I love you, but you’re a fuckin’ idiot when you want to be.”

Ten let out a noncommittal sound as he uncurled himself from his position, “But really though, he was super into it, ‘Yongie. I could almost _smell_ the arousal coming off that guy,”

Ten’s voice trailed off into a murmur as he continued, “I mean I wouldn’t mind getting in his pants some time, but _damn_ when was the last time he got laid.”

Taeyong almost choked on his saliva from Ten’s words. His skin blanched at the idea of Ten getting into serious trouble with the high ranking officer, “Ten you can’t be _serious._”

Ten laughed shakily. Taeyong stilled, “You didn’t do that Ten, did you?”

After getting no response Taeyong threw the heavy blanket atop Ten’s unmoving form. As he spoke his voice raised in pitch, “You voluntarily agreed to meet the person who was going to arrest you for some kind of sick _date?_”

Ten’s reply was flat, “Yeah.”

Taeyong was silent after that. It was almost impossible to believe that Ten was so confident in his ability to get out of certain situations. The keyword being _almost._ Not only had Ten gotten himself out of some frankly ridiculous situations that were stacked against his favor, but he’d also always had a kind of bravado and never wavering self-assertion that was astounding. When Taeyong went to ask how exactly Ten planned to avoid arrest again, he heard the soft snores of Ten. Deciding he’d had a long enough night, Taeyong left Ten to rest and shut his own eyes to sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Johnny is a great liar. Unless it’s to Jaehyun.

It was a normal day in the office; if a normal day in the office was when everything was up in flames.

It was the morning after the break-in. The Royal Guard had never experienced such a large breach of security. The records office of the Royal Guard was in chaos as people scurried about to file reports and investigate how someone had managed to enter The Royal Vault of all places and escape. The national newspaper had already caught wind of the robbery and so the rumors of the Royal Vault’s intruder spread like wildfire. Commander Seo, punctual as usual, walked into the office five minutes early to witness papers flying and tomes recounting the night being tossed around the office. There really wasn’t anything else to do. There was no designated protocol for a security breach at such a high level. After all, it was deemed impossible. 

A short office worker, whom Seo deemed an intern by their less than formal attire and doe-eyed demeanor, gasped when he noticed the Commander had entered the office. The scrawny kid immediately straightened up and saluted, “Oh! Uh- Sir!”

The rest of the office followed suit, finally having taken notice of the towering figure who had stepped in on the chaos. A chorus of “Sir!”s followed as the entire room came to a careening halt. Seo took note of the state of the office before his eyes moved to the back of the office. There sat a large desk, with many of the finer details that the other plain tables lacked. The edges were embossed with a floral design and leaflets were carefully carved into the feet of the desk. Behind it stood a man with a similar stature to Seo. The sleeves of his visible white button-up were pushed up to his elbows and his pinkish-brown hair was lazily pushed to one side, a contrast to the normal office standard. Seo took notice of his missing military jacket, which was haphazardly hung across the back of the mahogany office chair next to the standing man. Jaehyun Jung, Sergeant of the Royal Guard Special Operations Program. Commander Seo always found his title a bit of a mouthful.

He nodded at the man, and shot him an understanding look. Jaehyun was most likely called in right after the break-in and had been working since. As Johnny had been one of the first to respond, he was awarded the luxury of resting. Jaehyun raised an eyebrow at Johnny, whose only reply was a slight shrug of the shoulders. While a seemingly innocuous gesture to some of the workers, a few veteran secretaries knew that was how the two privately conversed without magic. As Johnny stood stock-still surveying the room, he nodded once more at Jaehyun, waved off the formal behavior of the others, and quickly made his way into his office. His unease did not go unnoticed, however. Unbeknownst to him, Jaehyun watched his retreating form in suspicion.

He closed the door behind him gently, letting out a breath he hadn’t realized he had been holding. As he walked towards his desk. The corners of the desk sported a carved insignia of the state which had been carefully etched into the desk by one of the great artisans of the kingdom. The legs of the desk were carved to look like clawed feet digging into the ground. He didn’t get why an office desk had to be so imposing. Granted, who could expect less from a gift from the King. He collapsed into his seat, the facade of his attentiveness following. Commander Seo had barely slept the night prior. Despite his lack of sleep, he still had a job to do. He pushed his exhaustion away, along with some less than work-appropriate thoughts, and looked over his desk.

He sighed, leaning forward to retrieve a familiar stack of paperwork. Atop the stack which awaited him each day, an empty incident report lay waiting. He carefully picked the parchment up from the stack, placing it neatly on his desk. After retrieving a pen from his breast pocket, he hunched over the report, his eyes carefully reading over the generic questions of the report that he’d seen countless times before. He stared at the suddenly glaring words until his eyes were crossed and his mind spun. His lethargy was only interrupted by a knock at his door.

A small head peeked into the over-the-top office, and the commander motioned for the person to enter. In an effort to look occupied, he began outlining the events of the break-in, from the timing of the break-in to the use of illusion magic to the chase after the intruder. He described the thief as short, with dashing features, cropped black hair, striking eyes－this was getting out of hand. He blacked out the lengthy description and instead simply wrote, “appearance was masked by a long black cloak.” Something told him that it would be a poor decision to reveal the smooth talkers’ appearance to the rest of his department before meeting him. _Wait, was he actually going through with that?_ Looking up to the other body in the room, he saw that they held a folder overflowing with papers, to the point that twine was being used to hold the large stack together. He gave a gruff noise of approval, using the pen in his hand to gesture to the ever-growing pile of similarly bound papers. After the papers were neatly set atop the others the person, who the commander now recognized as a secretary, bowed and made a swift exit.

After the secretary left, the forlorn-looking commander continued writing his report. With a hazy mind, he continued to describe his personal encounter with the thief, writing how the mysterious person disappeared as fast as they were cornered. He included a generic statement of how he attempted to apprehend the thief but was unable to. In all other parts of the incident report, he mindlessly filled it with technical information in an attempt on his part to distract from the very much missing description of the suspect.

He was once again brought out of his thoughts by a knock.

Surprised eyes flitted to the door and the commander subconsciously straightened out his posture, “Enter!”

Johnny sighed as his fellow Sergeant entered the room and closed the door quietly. The two men met early in their careers, becoming quick friends in a cutthroat workplace such as the royal sector. The two were as close as family, some would argue more so. Despite their usual closeness, Commander Seo felt his hair stand on end and a fresh wave of nervousness washed over him. If anyone could spot a crack in his acting, it was Jaehyun. Almost mechanically, he gave a curt greeting, “Ah, Jaehyun, rough morning?”

Jaehyun squinted at the sitting man, noting his unnatural demeanor, “Yes, it’s quite obvious by the mess of the office I’m struggling to keep people in order. It’s barely seven in the morning and I’ve already had to reassure three superiors that the perimeter of the grounds is under my unit’s protection.”

Commander Seo replied curtly, “I’m sure that has been a handful,” before returning to looking at the mess that had been made of his desk. 

Without trying to draw attention, the commander signed the report and placed it in the ‘completed’ pile of work on his desk, which was dwarfed by the incoming paperwork yet to be overviewed, signed, and sent out. He pulled the file most recently put on his desk and started to unravel the bindings holding the loose sheets together, and Jaehyun took the opportunity to stride over to the desk, picking up the finished report and scanning it.

A tense silence overtook the office as the commander distracted himself with busywork and Jaehyun read the report over.

“John.”

Dread filled the commander, or rather _Johnny._ “Jaehyun?”

“Did you get enough sleep last night? Or rather _decent_ sleep?” Johnny looked up to Jaehyun who towered over his sitting figure despite Johnny being comfortably six feet tall. 

Johnny gave an obviously tired sigh, “I mean, I slept _okay._”

Jaehyun looked at him incredulously, “Okay? Really? This report is completely disjointed and is even missing some of the most important details of the night. Hell, if you read between the lines it’s almost like－”

_Silence._ Johnny carefully capped the fountain pen he was using and began to fiddle with it. He prompted Jaehyun, “Almost like?”

Jaehyun squinted at the unnatural tone, “－almost like you are leaving something out.”

Johnny cursed himself for letting Jaehyun’s keen eyes anywhere near the report that was riddled with half-truths. His face went stony as he replied, “Of course I’m not hiding anything. I must have slept much poorer than I thought if that’s how my reporting comes across.”

He gestured for the report, but Jaehyun didn’t let up. “Just because half the people here couldn’t spot a lie doesn’t mean I can’t, John.”

Johnny lets out a wry smile, knowing that if Jaehyun was on his case he would undoubtedly be caught red-handed. Seeing that, Jaehyun had all the evidence he needed to assume the events of the night prior. “You met ‘em, yeah?”

Johnny nodded, refusing to acknowledge what transpired out loud. His counterpart furrowed his brows and walked around his desk to lean next to him. Johnny by now was used to Jaehyun’s casual behavior in the workplace. “So what was so important you had to leave it out of the official report?”

His complexion betrayed him as he felt his cheeks getting redder. “Well, the situation became slightly more, um, how would you say, _personal,_” 

Jaehyun only hums in faux understanding as Johnny continued, “They offered a lead that I would like to investigate further before giving way knowledge to the department.”

Jaehyun clapped him on the shoulder, “Alright, cut the shit John, how’d this person get under your skin so badly you had to cut it from the report?”

The older man laughed at how well his friend knew him. He calmed himself before continuing, recollections of the interaction filling his mind, “He was a real devil, you know?”

“Oh a _he_ this time?” Jaehyun teased, keenly aware of Johnny’s bisexuality.

Johnny gave Jaehyun a shove, almost knocking one of the ridiculous looking paperweights off his desk, “Yes, and he was, by all means, gorgeous but he just had this _air_ about him, something told me there was more than what meets the eye, ya know?”

Jaehyun pushed off of the ornate desk to stand, setting down the report and walking to the center of the room. He looked back at Johnny, “Oh, you’ve really done it this time, haven’t you.”

A minute passed in a now comfortable silence as Johnny accepted his fate at the hands of an unstoppable feeling, one he wasn’t quite ready to confront. Johnny looked at his desk with a thousand-yard stare, and slowly set his pen down on the desk; almost as if trying to not make a sound. “_Ten_,” he murmured.

Jaehyun looked quizzically at Johnny, “Sorry?”

Johnny simply repeated the word, “Ten. That’s what he said his name was.”

Confused, the younger man pressed, “A number as a name, are you sure?”

He waved off the other, “Yes, I’m sure. And I’m also certain it’s not his _given_ name, but more likely a criminal alias, something he goes by to keep his identity under wraps.”

Jaehyun faced away from Johnny and chose to carefully look at the mahogany bookshelves that lined one of the office walls rather than face his best friend. “I see why you look so exhausted now.”

Johnny blushes, realizing how his added analysis did not help his case. Silently, he tried to extend the time until he had to answer to Jaehyun’s prying.

When no audible reply came, Jaehyun continued on, “Now, for both your sake and mine, I’m not going to say anything to the higher-ups right now, you know that.”

Johnny let out a sigh of relief in that sentiment. He knew Jaehyun wouldn’t throw him under the bus, but it still felt good to hear, “Thank you.”

Jaehyun looked at him with eyes full of mirth, “You’ve truly gotten yourself into something big this time, Johnny.”

Johnny knew that he was playing with real risks this time. He could only nod as he weighed his decisions, which Jaehyun took as his cue to leave. 

But before he opened the door, Jaehyun gave him a knowing smile, “It’s about time you found someone to pine after, as unconventional as it might be.”

His eyes widened at the notion of such emotions being involved, his mind swimming in questions. Jaehyun would never cease to surprise Johnny with his antics, which always managed to rile the older up. 

As Jaehyun made his exit, Johnny laid his head in his hands. _Was it really a good idea to possibly ruin his career over this one encounter?_ But something pulled Johnny towards the stranger. Whether it was his electric smile, or those distinct feline eyes, or even the oh-so-casual confidence he carried, something told him there was more to this myth of a man. Johnny decided he would find out what it was that made the thief so mesmerizing.

After that harrowing encounter with Jaehyun, Johnny’s day as the commander passed uneventfully. It was easy to mindlessly check off tasks and complete paperwork when there were so many thoughts running rampant through his head. To make a feeble attempt at shrinking the ever-present pile of incoming paperwork, Johnny opted to skip lunch and work through the day. It would do him no favors later, but he did manage to finish the majority of his duties by the normal end of day.

Knowing he had places to be, he sighed and left the work unfinished. He considered taking the papers home to finish but figured he would get too caught up in the night to actually focus on anything of real substance. After all, he had something, or rather someone, who would be occupying a decent amount of his night, hopefully. 

With his jacket now carefully draped over his shoulders, he left the office, giving curt nods to those who worked under him. Sometimes Johnny resented the amount of respect he was afforded by others, but he tried not to think about the semantics of his position in society. As he mulled over his deeper nonsensical thoughts, he admired the deep red carpet that lined the stairs. 

As his train of thought came to a stop, he noticed Jaehyun leaving. All Jaehyun offered him was a knowing look and a nod as he stepped up into a waiting carriage. _He was always one for the finer things in life,_ Johnny mused. He made his way outside into the dying rays of the sun towards the on-site stables. Few people maintained riding horses as a means of transportation as many either could not afford to or simply preferred the convenience of a carriage. Johnny could never see himself sitting in a carriage, sitting so high above others. He always had preferred something more humble.

He thanked the stable boy and gave him a pat on the shoulder. The boy always managed to take excellent care of his steed despite the horse’s malevolent personality. The horse was reliable nonetheless, and Johnny had always held him in high respect as a work animal and companion. The horse itself was a dark brown, with a white stripe running down its face, and was known for its strength and speed from the few times Johnny had participated in friendly races. _Oh how awful, I’ve bonded more with my horse than most of the people I work with._ Without a second thought, he mounted his steed and rode off towards his home in order to prepare himself for what was to come. 

While he rode, his mind wandered back to the why. Why was a thief so intent on meeting the man who would jail him. But then again, he hadn’t jailed him when given the chance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woooo yikes, I really left this story for ages. I've been meaning to get back to it but things kept coming up :/ I hope to start working on it more in the future though. Cheers to hopefully? more regular updates

**Author's Note:**

> I don't really know what I'm doing with this but hope you enjoy it!


End file.
